A Thanksgiving in Mexico
I've mentioned before that if I can't go home for Thanksgiving, I'd prefer to not celebrate at all. It’s a day when I am incredibly homesick. Although it's quite expensive to travel domestically during Thanksgiving, it’s usually relatively affordable to travel internationally. So for Thanksgiving 2023, I surprised Brandon with a belated birthday trip to Mexico.
Although all-inclusive resorts are not usually our preferred type of vacation (no shade, it is just not our personal preference), I decided that $2065 for a weeklong stay at Marriott's first all-inclusive, Delta Riviera Nayarit, was too good to pass up. And that’s how we ended up flying from PDX to Puerto Vallarta on Thanksgiving, ignoring the holiday and escaping the dreary fall rain.
I'm going to break down the pros and cons of this resort, share the fun activities we did, and outline the total budget for the weeklong trip.
Delta Riviera Nayarit
Mexico has no shortage of all-inclusive resorts. What appealed to me about this one was the jungle location while still having access to the beach at the private beach club. We enjoyed the resort, but there are some things to consider, especially if you usually stay at larger all-inclusive resorts.
Pros:
Gorgeous design - This was one of the first things that caught my eye. The rooms were spacious and beautiful with a tropical design that managed to be peaceful without being stark white. The bathroom looked luxurious. The public spaces were also lovely.
Not too large - I liked the smaller size of the resort. We could easily walk everywhere, although golf cart rides were available. It never felt crowded and had a boutique feel.
Lovely spa - Tzicuri Spa was small but mighty. Brandon and I both enjoyed massages. I think post travel day massages are an ideal recovery strategy.
Stunning location - Set amid the mountain jungle outside of PV, there were views in every direction. We could sit on our balcony and enjoy the sunset each evening and then stroll to dinner surrounded by lush vegetation. It was a nice contrast to some larger resorts.
Affordable - For two adults and one child, the price we paid was incredibly reasonable. It worked out to less than $100 per person per day. It’s hard to find lodging for less than that (well, at least at places I want to stay), much less lodging plus food, drinks, and many activities.
The pools - The pools and other water features were wonderful. There was a series of terraced pools, a lazy river, a quiet natural pool, elevated hot tubs, and, Harrison’s favorite, a very fun splash pad with water slides. There was something for everyone.
Some great food options - Although the primary food offering was a buffet (more on that in a second), there were some included additions that were excellent. Maybe the best food was the taco truck serving mouthwatering street tacos, but the Japanese teppanyaki (included, but required a reservation) made for a fun and delicious change of pace. The breakfast buffet was also consistently great.
The beach club - Although the resort is not on the beach, there is a nearby exclusive beach club that is included with a stay here. The shuttle to the beach club was frequent and the food and drinks here were especially good. The beach is not always great for swimming, but this was a highlight of the resort for us.
Cons:
The beach - If you absolutely must stay on the beach, this isn’t the place for you. And, as mentioned above, the beach at the beach club was a bit rocky and the waves often a bit rough to be a great swimming beach, if this is important to you.
The bathroom was more form than function - Although the bathroom was beautiful, we consistently had difficulty with the plumbing, despite Brandon’s best efforts and the water kind of went everywhere.
The buffet - The buffet dinner did get a little redundant, although each night had a different theme. It was not bad food by any means, but after a few days, we were ready for a change. There were some highlights, including one especially spicy salsa that we put on everything. The wine selection each evening was limited to one white and one red and if you wanted a cocktail with dinner, you’d have to stop by the bar first and bring it with you. Although we are “foodies,” this wasn’t a deal breaker because we were generally out and about exploring all day and dinner was more of an afterthought.
A little isolated.- The jungle location was lovely, but we couldn’t walk anywhere from the resort. Even to go to the nearby Bucerias required a taxi. Uber usually worked great, though, and we pre-arranged airport transfers.
Not pros or cons, but could sway your decision:
No kids club - This could be a deal breaker for some, but we knew it going in and were fine with it. Brandon and I are fortunate to have somewhat regular kid-free trips or weekends, so when we travel as a family, we are okay with the 24/7 of being together and Harrison is pretty accustomed to “fancy dinners” and being along for all the adventures.
Lots of families - Despite the lack of a kids club, this was not an adult only resort. In fact, there were lots of families, most of whom seemed to be vacationing domestically. Harrison had fun playing with other kids, even when they didn’t share a language. But if you’re looking for the peace and quiet of a kid-free resort, this isn’t the place (although there were certainly some peaceful areas).
Lots of hills - If mobility is a concern, make sure you plan to call for golf cart rides. We loved walking around the resort and all of the hills probably helped burn off some chips and margaritas, but again, could factor into whether or not this is the right resort for you.
Overall, would I stay here again? Yes. For the price, I was really happy with the experience we had and none of the cons were terrible. We felt like we could get out and explore every day without "wasting" the money we spent on the resort. However, this probably isn’t the best option if your go to vacation is an all-inclusive resort where you prefer to mostly stay put.
What We Did
We planned an adventure for most days of our trip and enjoyed each one of them. It ended up being the perfect balance of relaxation and fun. Our total cost for activities was $1170.50 plus tips. This is pretty typical for us, although certainly we could have spent much less. If I absolutely had to choose a favorite it would be the snorkel tour. For all of us, it is a day we still talk about!
Massages $222 - Our first full day in Mexico, we spent the day relaxing by the pool (or at least as much as one can relax at the pool with a four year old) and Brandon and I took turns actually relaxing in the spa and getting massages.
Snorkel tour with Ally Cat $309 - This was a highlight of our trip. This full day tour took us out to the Marietas Islands for a day of sailing, swimming to secluded beaches, snorkeling, and all kinds of other fun in and on the water. We got to see blue footed boobies and other wildlife. Truly a spectacular day!
Hiking tour with Luna Tours $270 - When researching our trip, I stumbled across Luna Tours and was able to arrange two day long private tours. Alejandro was an excellent guide, starting with this hiking tour. We hiked to three different beaches, enjoyed local fruits and homemade guacamole, and had a fantastic day.
San Pancho and Sayulita tour with Luna Tours $212.50 - The following day, we visited the towns of San Pancho and Sayulita. I loved both! We visited markets (and got the inside scoop on the best stalls and got to meet some of the local craftspeople), spent some time on the beach, and ate some delicious food including maybe the best tacos I’ve ever had.
Shopping in Bucerias with lunch at Mar y Sol $157 - Our final day, we took an Uber to nearby Bucerias for more shopping and lunch on the beach. It was a low-key day and left us plenty of time for one last afternoon at the beach club.
Budget summary
I spent $1068 on three plane tickets. Because most of our meals were included, the bulk of our other expenses were for activities. In addition, we spent about $500 in cash (some of this was cash we took out in pesos from the ATM) on tips, some meals, and shopping and $212 for roundtrip transportation from the airport with Vallarta Transportation Services. With everything else listed above, this brings the total for our trip to just over $5000. Honestly, I could have spent a lot more money shopping, but our suitcases were maxed. This wasn't a trip where I used points, so of course I made sure to maximize all of the expenses .to earn points for the next trip!
So that was how we spent Thanksgiving 2023 and I have zero regrets. After my mom died earlier that year, I packed the year with travel, I think as a way to cope with grief. I honestly haven’t written about most of them - a month spent in Arkansas with friends and family, a summer full of camping trips, a mom and son trip to Tahoe - and I probably won’t, but for me, this year of exploring with my little family and some of my very best friends truly was healing for me and I’m so grateful for each time I can travel. Another thing about 2023. Somewhat ironically, at the beginning of the year, I set a gentle goal of having a family adventure at least once a month to prioritize spending meaningful time together. Despite the challenges and unexpected loss of the year, we managed to do that. Up next, I’m going to share more about our 2023 Family Adventures.